Here is a simple template for developing a social media action plan -- from tying to broad business goals and designing a listening program to picking to tools to meet your goals and measuring results.

1. Social Media Action Plan
Tie Social Media to Your Business Goals
Business Drivers Goals
Financial
• Revenue
• Expenses
• Leads
Customers
• Customer experience/satisfaction
• Customer service/support
• Building community
Brand
• Awareness
• Thought leadership
• Innovation
Design a Listening Program
What to Follow Specific to Your Company
Industry trends
Key words and search terms
Influencers to follow
Competitors
Pick the Tools to Fit Your Goals
Tool Purpose and Strategy Rank Priority (from 1-3)
Focus on 1 and 2
Monitoring Tool Listening and measurement
Corporate Blog Thought leadership, depth,
engagement, linking & guest posts
Twitter Headlines, engage, sales, solve
service issues, competitor insight
Community Customer driven, customer care,
sourcing trends
Facebook Social, friendly, recruiting, link to
community and blog, video
LinkedIn Engagement, networking,
recruiting
YouTube Amazing stories, brand awareness
SlideShare Content sharing, thought

2. leadership
Measure in Conjunction with Marketing Goals
Goals Social Media Output Tools/Tactics to Measure
*Faster, better insight/information Conversation monitoring, customer 100s of listening tools (Buzzient,
feedback Radian 6, etc.)
Customer community
search.twitter.com
*Awareness, thought leadership # of people reached Unique site visitors
Twitter followers
Blog comments
*Faster, better sales # of interactions Your CRM system
Leads
Deals
Revenue
*Customer support, satisfaction # of issues addressed Your CRM system
Twitter
*Faster, better development # of ideas implemented
Insert Yours Here Insert Yours Here Insert Yours Here
*Examples by Altimeter Group